Beijing Food and Restaurants
Today Beijing offers a dazzling array of local and global cuisines served with a flavor and fervor on par with most international cities. The city has something for everybody – from inexpensive food stalls to five-star gourmet restaurants.
Beijing cuisines combine the best of cuisines from around China, with a preference for warm, filling dishes, due to its Northerly location. Many dishes reflect the influences of the Mongols, with an emphasis on mutton and flat breads. Wheat-based noodles, buns and dumplings are preferred over rice and, of course, Beijing most famous dish is it's Beijing Duck, a must try for anyone visiting the capital.
Eating well in Beijing doesn't have to break the bank. Budget eats can be found in the night markets and down small side streets where a bowl of noodles or dumplings will cost very little. A formal restaurant, with tablecloths and waiting staff, will be more expensive but provide more choices. Restaurants featuring international cuisine will be the priciest. Regardless of the establishment, always verify prices before ordering. Prices for certain items like seafood can vary from place to place and you don't want a shock when you see the bill.
Most top end restaurants in Beijing have some kind of English menu, Although translations from Chinese are often literal and often amusing (anyone for 'fried pig stomach on cabbage'?). Smaller restaurants will provide a menu in Chinese or have placards posted on the wall featuring daily specials. In general, it's better to eat Chinese food in a group as you'll be served a wider variety of dishes.
We must state out that we tried to take as much restaurants as we could in our Beijing restaurant part but there will be always some restaurants we didn't covered yet. So it is very possible we missed a very good restaurant somewhere in the small alleys of Beijing. Therefore we always recommend trying everything. You could be surprised!
